When the frost begins to subside and the snowdrifts melt, there is a chance that the lawn will turn into a swamp, consisting of dirt and puddles. It will take time and patience before you can start working on it to restore the lush green color.

Excess water drainage

Nutrients can be washed out of the soil, so the pH level often changes due to the large amount of melting snow. A swampy lawn is a real nightmare for most gardeners. During the winter, heavy rainfall and snow make it wet and dirty.

Wetland is usually caused by several major problems, which are related to the fact that water cannot drain through the soil, since it is highly compacted and has no place for runoff.

Compacted land most often occurs in places of high activity: on paths and places where children play, as well as where bumps are observed. The soil, rich in clay, is also subject to flooding, because it is dense and retains moisture.After the swampiness of the lawn is noticed, it is better to try not to walk on it, because the problem can only worsen. You need to wait until most of the water evaporates, and then gently push it to the edges of the lawn or drain using a broom or brush.

You can also pierce the lawn with a garden fork in some places, creating large holes in it. After the initial evaporation of water using a toothed aerator on the lawn, it will be possible to remove additional soil plugs. This should allow most of the water to drain.

Restoration

A healthy lawn in a summer cottage or garden requires spring care, even in areas where there is no heavy snowfall or low temperatures. Weeds appear when the grass wakes up completely from winter sleep. They need to be removed on time from the site. Proper fertilizer, watering and shearing will further strengthen the lawn.

Important! After the snow melts, you need to restore the lawn surface by removing debris from it: last year's leaves, branches, sticks that accumulated over the winter so that the water does not stay on it, but evaporates faster.

Thanks to these manipulations, the lawn grass will better withstand the summer heat, droughts and more aggressive weeds in the late growing season. Having spent time on spring care, it will be possible to minimize the appearance of other problems.

Video: Restoring the lawn after winter

Rolling and combing

A lawn is rolled in if after wintering irregularities, grooves, depressions, tubercles appeared. A heavy skating rink is perfect for this. This procedure must be done in the spring after the soil has completely dried. The skating rink helps to correct all irregularities on the lawn. When working with the device, try to trample down the lawn grass less.

Did you know? Americans spend $ 76 billion on lawn care, which puts them in first place in the world in this industry. Australia is on the second step of the podium, and Canada is on the third.

Some gardeners mistakenly believe that last year's grass can serve as fertilizer. In fact, fallen leaves will prevent the ingress of air, sunlight and heat, which means that the lawn will not benefit, but harm.

If the grass was not mowed for the winter, and its height reached 6–8 cm, the cover will need to be mowed. Gardeners use a fan rake made from a rigid spring rod to comb the lawn grass, which helps to collect grassy dry felt, which prevents the growth of the lawn. They work very carefully.

Important! The hard metal rake is very aggressive and can do more harm than good, as the lawn can be easily torn. Easy combing is recommended. Raking the felt at different angles will increase the flow of air, and, accordingly, accelerate the evaporation of moisture.

Verticulation or scarification

Vertical processing of grass cover is called verticalization. The manipulation is aimed at restoring and strengthening the vegetation by uniformly pruning and eliminating grassy lawn felt. A verticutter pierces the lawn, clearing it. The device is mechanical, electrical and fuel-powered.It is possible to carry out a verticalization procedure in the absence of fungal diseases, after 2 years after sowing grass, when the air temperature does not exceed + 25 ° C and not lower than + 5 ° C.

Verticalization is carried out three times: for the first time in mid-spring at soil temperature indices of about + 10 ° С. Then in August and November. Observing such a frequency, the vegetation cover will be healthy and will easily tolerate wintering.

For a safe entry of the lawn into the winter phase, and in the spring to remove unwanted organic substances, such as dry grass, moss and weeds, to revitalize shoots and excessive thickening of vegetation, an important procedure is carried out. It is called scarification. By removing unwanted vegetation, lawn grass will receive more air and light in the future.

The lawn will be scarified in mid-autumn and late spring. The decision about when to scarify depends on the weather.

Scarification is carried out with a fan rake, a scarifier. The device is similar to a lawn mower in which instead of a cylinder there are many vertical knives or spring teeth. Depending on the type of scarifier, the blades can be adjusted in height so that they do not penetrate the soil too deep, but simply remove the top layer of lawn felt.

During this procedure, steel springs comb the surface of the lawn, and the soil receives additional loosening, as a result of which the roots of the grass develop better.

Important! Stratification too early will “shock” the lawn, and it may not recover until the weather is hot.

There are 2 golden rules that you must follow when conducting the procedure:

1. You need to make sure that the frosts do not return.
2. Make sure that the soil has warmed up, not lower than + 10 ° С.

It takes about 2–4 weeks to fully restore lawn vegetation after scarification. When buying a scarifier, it is important to consider the size of the coating. For large lawns, a gasoline device is more convenient. Scarifiers work best on flat surfaces, therefore, in order to use it as efficiently as possible, it is recommended to eliminate bumps with the help of a garden skating rink.

Sanding

The use of sand for lawn areas is often equated with top dressing. However, this is a common golf course maintenance procedure and nothing more. Some experts claim that feeding summer cottages with sand will not do them any good. For the most part, experts unanimously note that sand should only be used to level low areas.

Important! When feeding the lawn with any material, you need to apply it with a thin layer and evenly distribute it over the entire area. You should not try to improve the clay soil with sand, because a cement-like effect will be obtained.

They also cover the open roots of trees. Even in these cases, it is recommended to use a thin layer of compost instead of sand to cover. There is an explanation for this. Particles of sand do not have the ability to retain nutrients, so its annual application to lawn vegetation in fact leads to the fact that lawns lose their fertility.

There is a common mistake that many people make. It lies in the fact that gardeners apply sand in large quantities or unevenly. This leads to unsightly bumps all over the lawn, and the grass under these heavy mounds cannot "breathe".

Sanitization against weeds and diseases

Unfortunately, quite often lawn spaces can suffer from diseases and weeds. They appear even with good care. One of the most common problems that can be found on the lawn is weeds. Most often found: dandelion, white clover, wheat grass, broadleaf plantain and quinoa.

Weeds grow under a variety of conditions and it is not easy to deal with them. The weed control plan is critical because it gives the lawn and yard an unsightly appearance and competes with healthy vegetation for moisture, nutrients, light and space.

Did you know? The Witch's Ring found in Belfort, France, is considered the largest ring ever found. It has a size of about 600 m in diameter. This ring is supposedly 700 years old.

There are a number of aspects worth paying close attention to. Proper fertilizing, mowing and watering contribute to the rapid growth of grass and prevent the growth of weeds. You can not mow vegetation more than 1/3 of the height at a time. You need to water the lawn every day between 6 and 10 in the morning.

If the weather is dry, use garden tools to remove weeds: a root scavenger, a weed extractor (Tornado, Fiskars SmarFit 139960, GARDENA). Weeds are not the only ones that can affect the condition of the lawn. Even after their removal, the lawn may remain affected by any disease.

Important! Most broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions and sow thistles, must be removed manually after prolonged rains, pulled out with the root so that no seeds remain in the soil. Therefore, plants need to be allowed to grow taller so that it is convenient to extract them.

The most common lawn diseases:

1. Fungal disease, which occurs when a fungus is affected by Sclemtinia homeocarpa. Most often manifested by the beginning of autumn. The disease is characterized by the appearance of pale straw-colored spots. Their initial size is small - 3-4 cm. Later, the spots grow and merge together. The main cause of the onset of the disease is excess moisture, cool air, alkaline soil. To get rid of the disease, you need to pierce and comb out the soil with a rake, especially in spring and autumn.
2. Stagnant water on the grass in early spring, when snow melts, can lead to snow mold - fungal disease. It is caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium and Tiphula. Symptoms first appear on the lawn space in the form of round spots of straw color when snow melts. They continue to grow until the grass is cold and wet. With regular fertilizing and proper mowing, snow mold should disappear on its own in a few weeks. In some cases, the use of a fungicide may be required. Caring for the lawn in the autumn will help to avoid the appearance of the disease in the spring, since excess moisture is the “food” for mushrooms. Raking in the spring areas affected by snow mold, it will be possible to help the soil dry faster and prevent additional fungal growth.
3. Red thread (Laetisaria fuciformis mushroom) is a turf grass disease most often caused by low levels of nitrogen in the soil. Basically, the disease appears from late April to mid-June. It can also occur during most of the growing season when night temperatures are around + 21 ° C. During this period, lawns grow actively, consuming most of the nitrogen in the soil. The red thread appears in two forms on the leaves of infected grass. One form has filiform branches, sometimes compared to horns called sclerotia. The other looks like fuzzy pink clusters of mycelium. The affected areas usually have a round shape with a diameter of 10 to 20 cm. Under the red threads, the grass is usually tan or light brown. The main treatment for the disease is to fertilize the lawn with the necessary amount of nitrogen as part of an ongoing feeding program. Nitrogen fertilizer applied to the lawn in the fall will continue to nourish it in the spring, but not in significant quantities. Therefore, for a greater effect, by the end of spring you need to apply liquid or solid (granular fertilizers), usually they have phosphorus and potassium as a supplement. It’s worth trying some proven remedies: “Bona Forte” - the frequency of watering lawn grass 1 time in 10-15 days. Dosage: 60 ml of the product per 10 liters of water on an area of ​​5 m²; nitroammophosco in granules: distribute 20–40 g of the preparation evenly on each 1 m², then water the lawn grass; Lawn “arable land” (in granules) is applied at the rate of 50–70 g per 1 m². It may take 2 years or more thorough feeding to prevent the red thread from returning in spring. Chemical treatment of lawn grass is generally not necessary and is not recommended for lawns.
4. “Witches rings” - mushrooms that grow on the lawn. This sight looks rather fabulous, but still you need to get rid of it. Mushrooms do not appear immediately. First, gardeners observe the appearance of grass circles that differ in color from the main vegetation. Then this emerging grass dies, and mushrooms grow along the contour. Season, environmental factors and animal excrement contribute to their occurrence. The fungal mycelium is underground and must be completely destroyed (manually) so that they no longer appear, since the ring can grow in a radius of 8 to 40 cm per year.

Lawn grass suffers from larvae of mosquito-centipedes. They resemble a cylinder in shape and have a length of up to 4 cm. In the summer, the larvae settle on blades of grass and eat the roots of vegetation. First, brown spots appear on the lawn, later part of the lawn where they settled may die.

Getting rid of pests is easy. It is enough to water the lawn and cover the damaged area with black plastic material or burlap. Do not remove the shelter during the day. The larvae themselves will come out and they can be collected and burned.Before processing the lawn, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the instructions, to prevent the increase in dose.

If bald spots are noticed on the lawn, then “pest guests” have appeared. These are larvae of grubs eating the root system of plants. If the pest is damaged by these pests, it is necessary to treat it with modern well-acting drugs: Aktara, Marshal, Vallar, Antichrush.

Ants are able to change the lawn beyond recognition, as they build their moves and bring soil to the surface. Gardeners use different means to control pests, like folk remedies (put the heads of smoked herring on anthills, sprinkle them with naphthalene powder, cinnamon, lure with sweet water - 100 g of sugar are diluted in 500 ml of water and 1 tsp of borax and honey), and hormonal, which are used according to the instructions - "Anteater" (in liquid and dry form), "Dimilin".

Aeration and haircut

For many gardeners, aeration of lawns is a procedure carried out to facilitate soil compaction and increase grass growth, and it is a regular annual task. The fact is that plant roots need air, water and nutrients. When the soil is compacted even slightly, it inhibits the flow of essential substances that support a denser and healthier growth of turf.

A layer of compacted soil with a thickness of only 0.8 to 1.2 cm can significantly affect the health and beauty of the lawn. Aeration creates holes in the soil, so that air, water and nutrients can reach the roots of the grass, which means the lawn will become stronger and healthier. Aeration equipment is available in 3 main types: from small manual versions to larger tractor or professional machines.

Spiked aerators simply make holes in the soil with a hard, spiky tooth.Some homeowners put on sandals with spikes tied to shoes to aerate their lawn. Of course, on a large scale, they will not help. Professional devices are used by gardeners with large areas of lawn.

Important! In most cases, the procedure is necessary once a year. However, if the lawn has heavy clay soil, then it may be necessary to ventilate in spring and autumn to keep the lawn healthy.

Mowing is an effective way to stimulate grass growth and maintain a beautiful lawn. Many problems with lawns are caused by a little practice: working with equipment with blunt blades, sparse mowing, or, conversely, cutting too big right away.

Too aggressive mowing, the so-called “scalping,” causes grass plants to concentrate their energy on growth rather than root deepening, and will make the lawn more prone to weeds. Higher blades of grass obscure the soil, making it colder, which in turn helps prevent the germination of weed seeds.

The best time of the day to mow the lawn is early evening. Mowing at the peak of the day when the temperature is the highest is not recommended. If it rained, you need to wait until the lawn dries, i.e. mowing wet grass can lead to uneven cutting and clogging of the lawn mower. No matter what type of grass is on the lawn, you need to mow no more than a third of the blades of grass.

Video: Mowing and aeration of the lawn in spring

Watering the lawn

Water is an integral part of a healthy lawn. The best time to water the lawn is in the early morning, up to 10 hours. Lower temperatures and a calm breeze help to minimize evaporation. Watering in the morning keeps the lawn cool on hot days and reduces the load on the grass.

If it is not possible to water the lawn in the morning, then it is better to do this - in the early evening (from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). It may seem appropriate to wait for a cooler evening temperature, but this is a fallacy. After watering, the lawns remain moist at night, and this can make the lawn vegetation more susceptible to disease, since a wet lawn at night is ideal for the growth of the fungus.

Watering is necessary so as to moisten the soil by about 12-15 cm. You can check whether you are watering the lawn correctly by inserting a 15-cm screwdriver into the soil. If it does not enter well, then the watering is insufficient.

Fertilizer

Better fertilizer for grass will contribute to a healthy lawn and minimize weed problems. Choosing the right nutrition for lawn vegetation begins with an understanding of the amount of fertilizer applied, knowledge of the soil and type of turf. All plants benefit from basic macro and micro elements.

The main nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and they are designated N – P – K on herbal products. The ratio of nutrients in any plant food is presented quite clearly. For example, 10–10–10 is a balanced fertilizer with equal proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, that is, N – P – K indicates the amount of each of them. Nitrogen promotes the growth and coloring of leaves.

Phosphorus is useful for stimulating root development. Potassium increases the plant’s ability to use nitrogen. Fertilizers TM Agrecol, granular preparation Compo, complex top dressing No. 1 for strengthening sod during the growing season "SPRING - SUMMER" have proven themselves well.

Thick, healthy, green lawns are not so on their own. To fully reveal the beauty potential of the lawn, you need to constantly look after it. For some, this can be a daunting task. If you don’t have the tools, time or patience to care for the lawn, then the best solution is to hire a professional to help make the lawn look great.